AW Racing

The end

2006-10-01T12:27:00.000+01:00

As it says in all the best novels when it came the end was swift.

A great practice session saw me going faster at Mallory than I have ever been. I was 4th on the grid 0.3 secs away from pole. On the outside of the grid and feeling confident. Strangely enough all the talk in the paddock (or at least my talk) was about whether to change my car next season. Frankly I got so much contradictory advice I was more confused than when I first came to Mallory in 2002, for my first ever race.

A poor start meant I could not get past Dave Lowe as had been my intention – obviously I suppose. Steve Pearce got past me at Gerrards on the first lap but I still felt pacy and racy (!). An attempt to get up the inside of Steve ended with him banging my front wheel which was a sufficient deterrent on that occasion. On the next lap I went round the outside of him at the hairpin and was in to 4th. Then at Gerrards I tried a very ambitious manoeuvre on Dave which was never going to work. A serious sideways moment lost me a couple of feet but I knew I could get past him.

So we all flew out of Gerrards at about 6000revs in 4th. I guess this equates to about 100mph. The next deceleration point is at the Esses where I suspect speeds of around 120 are likely. Unfortunately before we got there Paul Walton, in the lead, and Simon Davey (trying to be) got very close (this caused much dispute later but one of them did something wrong). Simon’s ensuing trip on the grass spun him around straight back on to the track and I t-boned him at an enormous speed.

Three thoughts – expense, pain, retirement.

Pain. I was unable to move much at first due to the severity of the impact but the presence of a marshal got me to undo my belts and limp away. Now as I write this two weeks later I am still struggling with a badly bruised/swollen foot that got jammed against the pedals. This caused me to twist my left knee which remains unenthusiastic about being bent. And my back, despite a chiropractors best efforts, aches most of the time. I suspect it will all get better eventually.

Expense. Not much to say but probably a very big bill but the car will be lovely at the end of it thanks to the wizardry of Bernard.

Retirement. Almost before I hit Simon I knew this was the decisive factor which would make me stop. I have had too many accidents to carry on. Every time I got in the car I thought something was going to go wrong and I seemed completely unable to control my destiny due to others driving behaviour. In truth I have had some spectacular bangs but only one was completely my fault. My injuries have been mercifully minor but the speed at which the framework that is my body repairs itself is slowing up – to a worrying extent.

When Marion came to see me in the medical centre we both knew it was all over. Even now I do not doubt this decision. It has made me sad but it also seems right and I should accept fate’s message. I should add at this point that Marion has been absolutely brilliant throughout the ups and downs of the five seasons of racing. Despite the level of investment, the danger and my tedious introspection she has always allowed me to take whatever decision seemed right. She has been simply marvellous and I have not deserved her generosity, nor expressed my thanks enough.

So how would I sum up my career as a racing driver?
- Most intense experience and bloody good fun
- Expensive
- Too much agonising not enough enjoyment of the pleasure
- I should have tested more but it is so boring (and costly).
- Couple of class wins
- Led a few races
- Not good at seeing yellow flags
- Quick but inconsistent

And in my final race I knew that I was back to my pre-Brands spectacular accident level of skill and with a bit of luck I was going to win a race until…………..

Mallory tomorrow

2006-09-16T16:09:00.000+01:00

Hassle at home, hassle at work - and really not looking forward to the day.

Nashed

2006-08-22T17:40:00.000+01:00

This passage could tell you all about the weather in Wales, the grumpiness of the bar staff in a local Pembrey pub or how the £20 tent from Sainsburys leaked. But no I must tell you about being nashed.

After my massive (no exaggeration) crash at Brands in 2004 I spent a fortune getting the car repaired and my first race back in the driving seat was again at Brands. A very cautious drive saw me somewhere just outside the top 10 and an overtaking manoeuvre which took me past one Jon Nash. At the next corner I kept to the outside as I wondered if Jon would try to retake the place with a courageous passing attempt. Unfortunately this resulted in him locking up his wheels and understeering into my virtually brand new car. Not much was said in the paddock………….

So to Pembrey. One year on. In qualifying Jon had taken avoiding action after Alan Williamson had spun and comprehensively bent his nearside front suspension. Bernard was able to fix the damage, just, in time for the race but he was some way back on the grid. The start at Pembrey is always a little fraught but if you survive the first corner it is a brilliant circuit to drive. I did survive the first corner although I lost a few places in the melee as being on the inside prevents virtually any action apart from following the car in front.

At the end of the first lap I began the run down to the hairpin at the end of the pits straight taking the normal outside line. Just before turning in I heard the unmistakable sound of tyres screeching on tarmac as someone to my rear locked up their wheels. With a desire to stay in one piece uppermost in my mind I did not turn in but then saw a blue car containing the aforementioned Jon Nash launch itself over my rear AND front wheel and come to a painful halt. Undaunted he decided to carry on despite me pointing to his damaged radiator and the loss of fluid from this essential piece of kit. (After 3 0r 4 laps his engine was pouring out so much blue smoke he came in – a big engine bill seems likely)

After he had moved on from the scene of the crime I gingerly accelerated but there was an obvious handling deficiency meaning the steering wheel was pointing to 2 o’clock whilst on the straight. I was considering continuing regardless until a right hander allowed me to be covered with water from my own buckled radiator. Game over. Into the pits. 90 seconds of racing after a whole weekend at a wet, windswept and desolate circuit.

And then there will be the bill.

So the balance sheet reads:

Positives – absolutely none
Negatives – loads.

In fairness to Jon he apologised at the track and by text the next day. Very rudely perhaps I have not responded but I am completely unable to think of something useful to say.

Undone by the weather

2006-08-18T11:15:00.000+01:00

The plans to go early for testing at Pembrey were scuppered by the weather. To allow for any form of comparison the track would need to be dry and all week the weather has been destined to be wet. So Bernard and I called it off. I probably would have still gone but for the fact that the test was Friday (meaning a Thursday arrival) and then have to hang around until Sunday.

Bernard has had to replace the starter motor and the head gasket after the travails at Snetterton but the high temperatures of the engine do not seem to have left any residual effects. Hopefully.

So as I load the car with tents, umbrellas, wellies etc I wonder what is in store for me. Really the ambition would be to have finished the race and feel that I had done well, that this was reflected in the results and enjoy the post race chat. We shall see.

Going backwards

2006-08-07T16:23:00.000+01:00

It is right to say that if you are going to get overtaken repeatedly it is much better to be nearer the front so that the end result does not quite look so painful. But it is also true that being overtaken is horrible. So this is the story of a long day at Snetterton.

An early start from home as the normal pre-race nights sleep was punctuated by wakefulness and then eyes wide open at 5ish. As ever all was ready to go on arrival at the circuit and I decided I would be first out on the track to give myself a little more time. Two other guys (Simon Davey and Oliver Robinson) went past almost immediately but the former knows the circuit as well as anyone and the other had been testing on Friday.

I was taking it steadily and started to build up speed but my turning in was generally too early This feels rather like a novices error (although one I commit all the time) and has something to do with thinking it will be too late and you will not make it around the corner. My times did get quicker but I was stuck around the 1.20.2 mark when I came upon the ever helpful Roger Newman who towed me all the way down the back straight. Suddenly I had taken a second off my time and I was 3rd on the grid - and chuffed - but knowing this was a bit of a lucky break.

The gap between qualifying and the race was such that I watched the Grand Prix and had a doze. My starter motor almost packed up but Bernard held onto it and allowed the car to start and we formed up on the grid. A reasonable start saw me hold my place with a bit of a gap to the following cars and Davey and Robinson, yes them again, got pretty close to each other - with me alongside them down the back straight. Slowly though they pulled away and my temperature gauge started to climb. I was almost in touch when Robinson spun excitingly at Riches causing me to completely lose Simon. Whilst I was in second for a while it was not to last.

Over the next few laps Steve Hare, Paul Walton and finally David Penlington got past me.

And now is the time for the touch of arrogance that one needs as a racing driver but is not something I am comfortable with. I do not believe I could have made the car go much faster. I never have a perfect lap but I simply could not stay on terms with anyone who went past me and when the lap times appeared after the race I was again off the front runners pace by at least a second. The gauge was showing 110 degrees on occasions but did fluctuate quite wildly and I wondered if the gauge was faulty rather than the engine overheating. I decided to keep going until the oil pressure disappeared - but this appeared relatively stable and I was still 4th or 5th.

Of course the race was then stopped (wrongly, when the marshalls overeacted to a car which spun but then continued) after 6 laps and as you take the positions on the previous lap I was 4th and David Penlington, who was actually in front of me, was relegated one place.

Now 4th is a great result but there were 10 drivers with a faster time than me. So either I am getting slower or it is the car - and I really think it is the car. At one point I followed Steve Hare through a corner and I braked in the same place, took the same line but he just drove away and left me scrabbling. All drivers must want to blame their tools but I just have to believe it is not me. Confidence could be an issue and I admit that when cars are close to me I am still a little cautious but I was charging around coners with all my old bravado so this was not the problem.

This does leave me with a simple choice. If it is me - I will give up as I cannot carry on without some hope of winning. My problem is finding out and so Bernard is going to try the car at Pembrey and let me have his wise diagnosis. If Bernard is positive about the car and testing does not get me going more swiftly it may be that I shall admit defeat sometime soon.

At least I only have to wait a couple of weeks before I can have another go.

Snetterton

2006-07-26T11:47:00.000+01:00

I have genuinely forgotten about racing over the past few weeks. A holiday in France and then coming back to try and earn enough money to pay for it has led me to put it to the back of my mind. A phone call from my mentor and racing guide, Bernard Baxter, reminded me that Snett is not far away. The results of my conversation with him are as follows:
1) Assume I can actually drive well
2) Think about what the car is doing and do not assume problems will be the drivers fault
3) Start calmly and build up speed
4) Think about the car's handling etc between qualifying and the race
5) Be more successful
6) Remember that at some time or another I will have been ahead of everyone on the grid.

That should do it.

Assuming rather than thinking

2006-06-18T15:16:00.000+01:00

I arrived at Oulton not expecting to do well. It is a difficult circuit, as acknowledged by all, and I had decided that my crash had taken up the money I might have spent on testing. So the mindset was: do your best but expect to perform midfield.

So when this is what happened I was not surprised and assumed it was my crap driving. In qualifying I really struggled to overtake anyone and found it all a challenge. I could not seem to find any consistency and was all over the shop. Because of the aforementioned mindset I just thought it was down to me and did not try to analyse whether anything else was going on.

I ought to mention a couple of corners. Cascades is a (kind of) flat out corner before a hairpin but flat out was not possible for me and I had real trouble braking for the hairpin. This is downhill and bumpy and to be honest, bloody frightening. Druids is a fourth gear corner with only limited run-off and one where you miss the first apex and try to hit the second. Once again I was over braking (this is a bit of a clue) and not coming out fast enough. These are examples of my overall performance but they are the two most difficult parts of the circuit.

The race followed a similar pattern except people were constantly trying to get past me. Apart from us all trying to miss Simon Davey’s nosecone at the start, my race consisted of trying to keep people behind and (literally) not crash at every corner. I (still) thought I was driving really badly and kept making mistakes. Now for anyone who reads this site you may find mention of mistakes not unusual but please trust me here, it was a complete shambles. It was no fun at all and when Rory Farrell, a very quick Irishman, and the evergreen and vastly experienced Dave Lowe got past me after yet more errors I could not even get that excited. I had overtaken some people during the race, although God knows how, so 10th was a more than fair result from 11th on the grid.

BUT THEN I REALISED. What had actually been happening was that I had a long and soft brake pedal and instead of there being one centimetre between the brake starting to bite and locking up it felt more like 5 centimetres (1/4” and 2” for non-metrics). I will never say that I am a great race driver but I know that without this issue some of the consistency could have returned, and possibly even a little more confidence. It may have also helped me to stop missing gears and apexes.

Now this tells me a number of things. Firstly I must not always assume I am a tosser and arriving feeling a certain lack of confidence is unproductive. Secondly, analyse the performance of the car and see if things can be improved after practice. Thirdly – try and use the brain when out there. I find it almost impossible to believe that none of this became clear until the race was virtually over. It would have then been too late but being aware that it may be the car not me, that things do go wrong with it AND that if you can work it out in practice you might be able to fix it for the race may just allow me to do a little better. Finally of course it now seems that a little investment in testing could have made all the difference.

During the night I woke up and could still feel the pedal travelling a long way and never being sure when the car was going to stop. It all seems so obvious and could have probably been fixed by a judicious bit of bleeding.

We have a bit of a break now until Snetterton – 5/6 August – so I am going to enjoy 2 weeks of Provence and all the delights France has to offer.

Oulton Park

2006-06-14T18:04:00.000+01:00

is described by many as their favourite circuit. Well it ain't mine. It is too difficult, too far away and one corner (Druids) too bloody dangerous. Despite all this it is quite good fun but you really need to test and my testing budget for this race has disappeared into lumps of magnesium alloy which have been welded on to the upright I broke at Brands. There are also 3 different versions of the circuit and I don't know which one we are on - best I am not first in the queue for qualifying.

Taking the TVR to stretch its legs and bankrupt my petrol account. Hope it keeps going........

Fate, statistics or driving skill?

2006-05-29T09:22:00.000+01:00

After the events of the day unfolded someone asked me if I believed in statistics. As you read on you may think I should now accept that figures do not lie.

This was my 6th attempt at some form of race at Brands. The history is as follows:

2002 – 2 races – knocked off in qualifying, car knackered , borrowed car of assailant and finished the second race despite two spins
2003 – 2nd to Simon Davey
2004 – in lead when hit by another car leading to a great deal of publicity as the car barrel rolled 5 times and was wrecked
2005 – first race back after the aforementioned crash and was hit from the rear by another competitor
2006 - see below

Now this last crash may have been my fault. People can say that backmarkers should get out of the way but it is quite possible that I did not give him the room. It was actually Damion Gough in the red car and it was his first race and his RP26 had been immaculate and whilst not severely damaged (he finished the race) it was bent and he has my sympathy regardless of blame.

For me I have to try and rationalise the experience of yet another crash at Brands. I do believe in fate so can put an element of the events down to this. I do not believe that because you have had accidents at Brands previously you are likely to have another. This feels a little like the tossing the coin and predicting heads or tails argument. So what of the potential view that I am a crap driver? My first reaction is to note that of the four accidents I have had at Brands 3 have involved an attack from the rear. This last one ended up with my rear and Damion’s front damaged but I repeat I am not seeking to blame him – it could have been down to me.

Thus you have to look elsewhere for evidence. And from my memories I can think of Cadwell Park where I was a total dick (serious damage and still do not know what I did); Croft, total dick again but very minor damage and the result of panic because I thought I was going to hit the barrier so over-braked – and then hit the barrier; and Snetterton when a competitor slowed down rather dramatically coming out of the pits and I hit him from the rear – my fault in theory but in my heart the marshals cocked it up!

So where does this honest description of my history lead us?

1) To great expense
2) Bad luck
3) Normal smattering of stupidity when driving cars very fast and trying to win

On balance I think I will just carry on – but I may just give Brands a miss in future in case statistics do not lie……..

Oulton Park, 17th June – case of Cobra beer to anyone who claims it (subject to rules)

Oh yes – and it is my birthday today.

Brands Hatch, 28th May 2006

2006-05-29T09:18:00.000+01:00

Bernard was in Pau enjoying the sun and running a couple of cars on this lovely street circuit where entries are £700 (and this obviously does not include all the other costs – ferries etc). Having enjoyed the Historic GP at Monaco I was having illusions until the expense got in the way.

The car was ready to go and qualifying was notable for 2 things. Brands is a short lap (54 seconds in my case) and with 28 cars it gets a little full. The speed variations made for some interesting manoeuvres and difficulty in getting a clear lap. This did not seem to matter too much as the car was understeering everywhere. I am sure I have not managed to get it to understeer at Paddock before, but it was on this occasion along with every other corner. Surtees was particularly frightening and whilst I think you should be flat into this I was feathering the throttle every time. To be honest I was shocked to find I was as high as 7th on the grid. I thought just outside the top 10 would have been fair.

At weighing my car was too close to the weight limit to be comfortable and I borrowed some lead from the Walton team. Also the starter motor was defunct so a push start was necessary.

The Race
Previously my starts had been working well with slightly less revs but on this occasion slightly became even slighter and after a millisecond of wheelspin the car bogged down and David Gathercole was able to get past me and Jon Davis, who was alongside me, was able to pull onto the inside preventing any progress for me. The next 12 or so laps were very exciting involving much dicing with these two and David Penlington who was behind me. I did get past Jon and managed to keep David behind as well.

Towards the end I found I was catching Andy Powell, who sounded as though he had a misfire. David had got past him and I was increasingly optimistic and as we came down towards Graham Hill bend the backmarkers seemed to provide an opportunity. There seemed to be 2 or 3 of them so I dived in between them but a red car (at this point I thought it was Michael Valentine) was on the outside of the bend and my rear hit his front sending me spinning towards the barriers. I was so convinced that barriers and car would meet that when this did not happen I did not seem to mind so much that the rear corner had suffered yet again.

My race was over with one lap to go when lying 7th………….

How racing cars should look

2006-05-18T12:19:00.000+01:00

Just about to leave for the Monaco Historic Grand Prix. What I love about these cars is that they look just like my car, although slightly inflated, and feel I could just get in one and drive it - slowly.

I will of course be seeking tips on how to be really quick at Brands in qualifying and then not get a race.

Cheers.

Not being picked

2006-05-14T10:38:00.000+01:00

Do you remember when the teams were picked for games at school? How sickening it was if you were last, or even towards the end alongside people you thought had 2 left feet or whatever the sport was? Well this was how I felt when I found out I was 1st reserve for the next race at Brands. My entry appears to have been at the bottom of a big pile and they can allow 34 to qualify but only 28 to race and I was 29th. This was nothing personal but logic was overtaken by childhood insecurities and I stomped around for a while. All my fellow competitors (who I pleaded with to pull out) have assured me that someone will not make it to the race but I am not that keen on wishing for someone to have a problem I have had too many myself to want others to suffer - and of course it might be me.......

Anyway I will be going and will see what happens after practice. One other issue will linger on though - if I get in do I start from the back, regardless of my qualifying position? Only time will tell.

Wet or dry

2006-05-07T08:56:00.000+01:00

The race was early afternoon after a deal of rain. Thruxton is a very abrasive circuit but the two races before had not dried out the circuit as we had all hoped although there was very little spray. At the last minute Bernard softened up the roll bars a tad but it was just a guess and I was typically indecisive.

Good start – not too many revs and got past a couple off the line. I was chasing Paul Walton and others but the conditions were very demanding. The car was sliding, on occasions viciously – but I was actually enjoying myself. I seemed to staying with Paul and felt I was slightly quicker. Around me was mayhem really - Jon Nash spun in front of me twice, once at Church, which is bloody terrifying because one is never sure where the spinner is going to complete his uncontrolled manoeuvring. All was well though and I had a great time – overtook some people, Jon Davis got past me and I felt I could have hung on to him but my not very brave overtaking of Paul let him get away.

On the final couple of laps Dave Malpas was very close and in an attempt to leave him behind I braked perfectly at the chicane – as late as I had been able to manage. Unfortunately I left the car in neutral through an inability to do two things at once and spun. I kept the engine running and stuck it in first and was away but could I get back past the Malpas? Only two laps left and alongside him at Church (well almost) saw me pull out of a risky pass. On the last lap I was alongside him up to the chicane and this had to be my very last effort. I was on the outside, not the best place, but I was feeling determined when a backmarker hove into view – ON THE INSIDE – where Dave was – what bliss. I simply braked later than Dave could – because of this guy and I was – wait for it - 5th.

More importantly – I was within 0.3 of a second of the fastest lap (3 x spinner Nash!).

So was the weather the leveller here? Was I driving better? Time will tell but I have a sneaking desire to try out a Van Diemen RF81 – just to see………

Next Race Brands Hatch – 27/28 May – and no-one claimed the Cobra beer at this meeting so it is still available for the first person who claims it from me in the paddock at Brands.

How one second becomes three....

2006-05-07T08:33:00.000+01:00

The problem about speaking ones thoughts onto a computer are that they seem such nonsense when the reality of the race day arrives

I was worrying about a second after Silverstone yet found myself 2.9 seconds away from the pole and 11 people in front of me when qualifying at Thruxton finished. I was not flat out at either of the bits of track that demanded flat outness and it showed in the times. So to the explanations.

a) There were lots of cars on the track and many of them seemed in front of me. In fact I remember having to overtake 4 of the slowest 5 guys in the 9 laps we had.

b) The session was stopped when Andy Powell was leapfrogged by Michael Burdon – taking both cars out. When I started again I was at the back of the whole session and it also left very little time.

c) I was simply very nervous. My overtaking bravery is more than a little suspect. Getting close to other cars when I have no clue what they are going to do is, for me, still daunting. This seems to be a hangover from the smashes I have had in the past. In terms of going quickly around corners this also causes my little old heart to flutter. It is difficult to describe but I will have a go.

Around the back of the circuit is a corner called Church. This is definitely flat out but the exit is invisible so after turning in a sudden doubt creeps into your mind that you are going too fast, or you have not got the apex right and it is all going to go wrong. Bearing in mind one is travelling in excess of 100 mph at this point. What happened with me was that I would momentarily lift and then see the track opening up in front of me and realise I had cocked it up yet again. A lift here compromises the fast bit up to the chicane where everyone overtakes. At the point of lift however there is this rather exquisite sense of fear and panic, the heart rate spikes a little higher and ones breathing becomes shallower and more rapid. Fun?

I knew my times were not fast enough (1.28) but I was very depressed to be off the pace by so much. Although my courage was increasing I could not see me improving that much. Mind you I have just checked the times I did in 2003 at Thruxton and I was one second faster in the early part of the year and later that same year I did a 1.25.5 which would have had me in 2nd on the grid yesterday (accepting conditions would have made a difference).

So what does this mean? Bottle gone, backmarkers slowing me down, bad luck, crap car? All I know was that I was not enjoying heading backwards on grids and the point was becoming lost. Why spend so much money to fail?

Thruxton

2006-05-04T18:20:00.000+01:00

This circuit really does things in twos. You brake twice and you are flat out twice. The trick seems to be getting the complex right so that you are then flat out until the chicane. The series of bends at the back are flat out as long as you position the car correctly which is not that easy straight out of the box. My demon plan is to go into the complex slower and tighter so that I am flat out after the middle corner and through the last section of the complex. Then I have to get my braking as late as possible at the chicane - but my abilies so far have been lacking, as has my courage.

I am taking the Griffith as last time I turned up in our new Citroen Picasso (which I love!) and people were ungenerous and childish. I see no harm in a diesel that carries a large number of people in comfort. I do not think it signifies that I am a senile tosser who should be a grandad as some of my colleagues intimated.

Cobra Beer and next race

2006-04-25T09:16:00.000+01:00

I forgot to mention that Cobra beer - who partially sponsor the Classic Formula Ford Championship - will also provide a case of beer to the first person who comes up to me at a race meeting and introduces themselves. This offer is clearly not intended for my fellow competitors or relatives etc - although I have no doubt someone will try and cheat.............

Next race: Thruxton, Saturday, 6th May.

Links:
www.classicformulaford.com

Finding the second

2006-04-25T09:08:00.000+01:00

Give or take I am always one second per lap behind the people who win races. At Silverstone I know I was losing time to others at the Brooklands/Luffield complex and I suspect I was braking a little too hard just before Copse but I do not feel I am that much slower. Of course all these things are relative and the second does not seem a great deal but unless I find it I am consigned to the pack behind the leaders. Whilst I really enjoyed Saturday I am finding my desire to be at the front is stronger than the ability I have to simply revel in the competition, wherever I finish.

But I have just taken possession of a TVR Griffith. And it has not broken down yet.

Silverstone, 1st race 0f 2006

2006-04-23T08:16:00.000+01:00

After testing at Anglesey, spinning on 2nd corner of first lap I realised exactly how rusty I was. I decided to invest in another test at Silverstone the day before the race. The pleasure of turning up and just driving is staring to become evident but Bernard thought it best to give me a real challenge so old tyres, dry settings and a very wet track with an F1 car blasting past me and a multitude of very quick Formula Renaults was the order of the day. My Royale is always good in the wet but in these conditions the car was incredibly skittish and I could describe my performance similarly except with an H instead of a K.

The second session was dry and I felt much better after this although I was simply not able to process the information the car was giving me. I really only managed this the next day when talking to my brother – just before qualifying and this enabled me to go out and at least know what I was looking for.

Silverstone is not a difficult circuit to remember one’s way around. Basically it is three corners – 2 slow and one very quick. The Brooklands/Luffield complex is (for me) impossible to negotiate quickly. The understeer here is horrible and I am always slow coming out of it, damaging my times. Copse, the fast corner, is great fun. Late braking, sharpish turn in and flat on the throttle saw me understeering a little too much in qualifying (this was what I realised after talking to Richard – it is surprising how difficult it is to understand the painfully obvious unless you talk it through with someone experienced) but I felt quick here.

10th on the grid was a little disappointing but this was my first race after a confidence sapping season in 2005. Probably most depressing was that all the guys at the front were either new drivers to me, returnees who I wished weren’t back or young thrusters who had bought new cars and were now very quick. The old truth of motor racing, and life, still holds true – there is always some bugger better than you.

Race
The race was great fun if a little hectic. My racecraft needs polishing to say the least but for the first time in nearly two years I had a race long dice with David Gathercole, David Penlington and Roger Newman. Side by side around Copse with Roger, trying to out brake David G countless times (and generally failing) and nearly getting past David P. on the line were great moments.

The two most exciting events – just to give you a taste were as follows: Roger and I were coming upon a back marker at Copse and Roger thought he would be able get past on his inside but they were just heading for the same piece of track. Roger braked and took a tighter line, I had to lift off more than suddenly and my car went completely sideways. Fortunately I held the slide and was able to get back on the power more quickly than Roger so got past him and the back marker. The other moment was at the end of Hanger Straight; three of us were all trying to out brake each other but my coordination difficulties from my first season resurfaced and I forgot to change gear. This led to me trying to hold an enormous slide with one hand whilst stirring the gear lever with the other trying to find any gear at all. It all worked out OK and I at least felt I had given the crowd something to talk about – as in “what a prat”.

Anyway I finished 7th – helped by a couple of retirements but the car was in one piece, I had enjoyed myself and there has not been to much need for introspection . Still woke up at 4am the next day though……….

Testing Times at Anglesey

2006-03-22T10:11:00.000Z

All attempts to find a suitable testing site which was close and did not interfere with work have failed. So I am off to Anglesey on Saturday (279 miles leaving at 5am!) to give the car a try out. More importantly I need to get back into the swing of driving the thing. This test is only costing £80 which is a really good deal compared to a day at Silverstone for £210. I really should do this as well but am struggling to justify the expenditure. My earlier reasons for testing when I first started were to try to find out which way the track went. At my first appearance at Croft I simply forgot to turn right and went off into a field and at Castle Combe I missed the same chicane three laps in succession. Silverstone is fairly boring in that regard but if I want to work out the quickest way I should spend my money. Let's see after Anglesey.

It gets closer

2006-03-13T09:31:00.000Z

Bernard has fixed the car. We are trying to sort out a couple of dates for testing and the first race is at Silverstone on the 22nd April. Every now and then I get a slight sense of anticipation but it has been so long since I got in the car that I feel as though I am starting again. I am trying to visualise that feeling of excited emptiness just before the lights change on the grid. I know there is nothing quite like it but the peripheral issues - cost, damage, ego, injury - all intrude. The one thing I know for ceratin is that they do not form any of the thinking when the lights do finally change..........

Happy New Year

2006-01-11T10:34:00.000Z

Happy New Year although no-one will be reading this as I am so useless at posting further news. Just in case, I can tell you that Bernard collected the car just before Christmas and he paid for the curry!

I cannot quite get used to the idea that I am going to turn up at races and the car will be there, ready to go. This season (as I probably cannot afford to do this more than once) will be the nearest I get to being a professional racing driver - albeit not necessarily as successful as that expression implies.

The calendar is out for the new season, which in iteslf is impressively early and my first race is at Silverstone on the 24th April so this allows me to get some testing in first. During my enforced lay off from racing I have been trying to remind myself that my experience is quite limited and last season did not allow me to develop that further, apart from being philosophical about damage to car, wallet, ego etc.

So a little bit of practice at Mallory and the like before we start the racing properly will not go amiss. Work at it slowly, and gradually speed up, must be the best approach and if I have more time at the beginning of the year and have less worries about getting the car there and it staying in one piece this should allow a good stab at success.

We shall see.

All I have to do now is persuade my local GP to do a free health check and I can get my licence which costs £45, plus BARC membership (£80 approx) and so it goes on.